Among loose buttons a single bead

Among loose buttons, a single bead,

and tangled chains, a forgotten creed.

I found it, small, a tarnished round,

a memory silent, without a sound.

That brass, it held a faded name,

a simple truth, a gentle flame.

His collar, once, around his neck,

a tiny weight, a sweet, quick check.

I rubbed it clean, a dull, slow shine,

and felt his ghost, briefly mine.

Just cold metal in my palm,

a shield against the coming storm.